Late last week I applied for both the Southwest Personal and Business cards with the goal of hitting the minimum spend on both early in 2014 and securing a companion pass for nearly 2 years. The personal card was approved instantly, and the business card was pending.

I called the business reconsideration line, was asked a few questions by the phone rep, and was put on hold for a couple minutes while my application was processed. The rep came back and told me my application had been denied! This is the first non-Barclay denial I have gotten… but I was prepared: I asked if I could move credit from another card to open this account… he said no. I asked if I could cancel a card to open this one instead… he said no again. I decided to cut my losses there and thank him for his time. Hang up, call back. When I called back, I was connected with another rep. I gave her my social, she pulled up my app, and immediately said “I see my colleague has already reviewed your application, there is nothing I can do.”

Is this a new policy? Did I just get unlucky with my phone reps? Should I try calling back again?